Then, a louder knock follows. "Aren't you going to answer that?" says his wife.
So he drags himself out of bed and goes downstairs. He opens the door and there is man standing at the door.
It didn't take the homeowner long to realize the man was drunk.
"Hi there," slurs the stranger. "Can you give me a push?"
"No, get lost. It's half past three. I was in bed!" says the man and slams the door.
He goes back up to bed and tells his wife what happened and she says, "Dave, that wasn't very nice of you. Remember that night we broke down in the pouring rain on the way to pick the kids up from the baby sitter and you had to knock on that man's house to get us started again? What would have happened if he'd told us to get lost?"
"But the guy was drunk," says the husband.
"It doesn't matter," says the wife. "He needs our help and it would be the Christian thing to help him."
So the husband gets out of bed again, gets dressed, and goes downstairs. He opens the door and shouts, "Hey, do you still want a push?"
~Elton John~
From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to be seen than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
Some say eat or be eaten
Some say Live and let live
But all are agreed as they join the stampede
You should never take more than you give
In the circle of life
It's the wheel of fortune
It's the leap of faith
It's the band of hope
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle, in the circle of life
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with the scars
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
In the circle of life
It's the wheel of fortune
It's the leap of faith
It's the band of hope
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle, in the circle of life .
So, still being unable to see the stranger, he shouts, "Where are you?"
And the stranger replies, "I'm over here, on your swing!"
Tsinoy says: If I were the husband, I'd wring the drunkard's neck until his face turns blue. Or I'd thrust a bullhorn into his ears and scream: BUWISEEEEEEEET! (Get lost! in Tagalog.)
But what is the moral force that pushes some people to do acts of kindness? Do their works of mercy spring from a pure heart? Are they sincere in their intention to help? Or do they expect something in return?
Why should we give of ourselves?
Because nature tells us so. The sun gives off warmth. Water evaporates from its heat. Clouds form and gives forth rain. The earth is renewed. It makes trees and grass grow. They feed the animals and birds. Until finally, the food chain leads to man. Yes, the circle of life is about giving and receiving.
Jesus said that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:25). Not that Jesus is against accumulation of wealth or having an abundance of talent. In "The Good Book" (1996), the author Peter J. Gomes explains that being obsessed with earthly possessions makes it difficult for the rich man to disentangle. He is more likely to miss the significance of the role of steward of God's creation.
Why should we give of ourselves?
We should give of ourselves because we do not have much of a choice. To do otherwise is to court isolation, loneliness and hatred through our greed and avarice. Through selfishness. Through our indifference to others in need. Then we slowly die a spiritual death.
Why should we give of ourselves?
We should give of ourselves because we can fully experience God's divine love in every single act of kindness and compassion. It is a gesture of genuine intention and concern. Not out of responsibility. Or an obligation to society.
Osho in his book "Sat Chit Anand" says that "responsibility is not the quality of a humble person; it is the quality of the egoist who wants to make everybody obliged to him (utang na loob [debt of gratitude]), who wants everybody to be a beggar and he the giver. He always wants to keep the upper hand. They may give him respect in the crowd, but behind his back, they all feel utterly insulted." Osho proceeds to describe genuine love and kindness as follows:
Love never humiliates; hence there is no question of revenge. It simply rejoices in giving: it gives and it forgets. It does not even remember to whom it has given, what it has given. It does not keep an account of all that it has shared. It goes on, moment to moment, singing its song to whoever is capable of understanding it. Whoever is capable of receiving it will receive it.
Why should we give of ourselves?
Because is liberating.
Kindness is an inner desire that makes us want to do good things even if we don't get anything in return. It is the joy of our life to do them. When we do good things from this inner desire, there is kindness in everything we think, say and want to do.
~Emanuel Swedenborg~
So many gods, so many creeds, so many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind is all the sad world needs.
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox~
Background Music "Circle of Life" by Elton John.
Animation from Harry and Dorret Goodwin's Homepage
Tsinoy
